Exploring Operational Inefficiencies in the Course Creation Process: An Agile and Design Thinking Approach

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-787-3_19How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Agile Approach; Design Thinking; Personnel Training; Course Creation Process; Flexible Organization

Abstract

Continuous upskilling is critical for maintaining operational excellence in the rapidly evolving healthcare sector. However, the training course creation process at the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (MEDCMU) operates on a rigid traditional workflow, causing recurring operational bottlenecks. These systemic delays hinder the timely upskilling of hospital personnel. This study explores these inefficiencies to provide a conceptual foundation for a future agile-driven course creation process. Through a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine key course organizers from the Information Technology Section (ITS) and Human Resource Department (HRD). Data underwent hybrid thematic analysis (deductive and inductive coding) to ensure methodological rigor. Findings reveal that the current “Waterfall-like” workflow creates significant structural delays. Critical operational issues span four areas: (1) Workflow Continuity, disrupted by disjointed handoffs; (2) Timeliness, unclear requirements and hierarchical approvals; (3) Adaptability, lack of iterative feedback; and (4) Ability to Follow-up, hindered by fragmented communication tools and a lack of standardization. Analyzed through Agile and Design Thinking principles, the study highlights a critical need to shift towards an iterative process design. These findings can potentially provide a crucial foundation for an adaptive process model, reducing past operational failures, supporting organization flexibility and rapidly accommodating diverse personnel needs.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Amarit Duangmuang
AU  - Wantana Areeprayolkij
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
TI  - Exploring Operational Inefficiencies in the Course Creation Process: An Agile and Design Thinking Approach
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 4th International Conference on Management Innovation and Economy Development (MIED 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 168
EP  - 173
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-787-3_19
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-787-3_19
ID  - Duangmuang2026
ER  -